Current:Home > MarketsNo turkey needed: How to make a vegetarian Thanksgiving spread, including the main dish-LoTradeCoin
No turkey needed: How to make a vegetarian Thanksgiving spread, including the main dish
View Date:2024-12-23 20:23:04
While the Thanksgiving meal almost always revolves around turkey, those who don't eat meat don't have to settle for a boring meal.
Whether you're vegan, vegetarian, are taking a break from eating meat or are just not a fan of turkey, there are several ways you can make a tasty Thanksgiving spread without meat and without giving up flavor.
Vegan influencer Dominique Side gets it. She has been vegan for over 6 years and has gotten the hang of navigating holiday meals made for meat eaters.
"I usually bring something with me," Side tells USA TODAY. "It depends on where I'm going. Some of my family and friends have really embraced the fact that more people are entertaining plant-based (diets). So, they've since made adjustments if they know they're inviting me over, which is great."
Side also suggests it's not very difficult to accommodate plant-based diets this holiday season, it just requires a little bit of extra thought.
Here are some ideas and recipes to accommodate your vegan and vegetarian friends this Thanksgiving.
Holiday fun:100 hilarious Thanksgiving jokes your family and friends will gobble up this year
Many classic Thanksgiving sides are already vegetarian (or can easily be made that way!)
Side says simple swaps have helped make many Thanksgiving dishes into vegan-friendly meals. For example, Side says the cornbread dressing she makes was originally seafood-based.
"But when I became vegan, I transitioned to using mushrooms in its place," she said. "So when I make my cornbread, I use an unsweetened applesauce in place of an egg. Then I use plant-based milk instead of regular milk," Side said.
Side even has a trick to make dishes that use smoked meat, like collard greens, vegan.
"I use liquid smoke to add to the seasonings when I'm doing dishes that I would ordinarily put smoked meat in," she said, noting grains and beans.
Here are some more classic sides that you can make small tweaks to accommodate your non-meat eating pals.
- Mashed potatoes
- Green bean casserole
- Stuffing
- Sweet potato casserole
- Mac and cheese
Recipes for unconventional vegetarian sides
If you want to really impress your vegetarian friends, you can try mixing in some nontraditional sides to your holiday spread with these recipes.
Wild Rice Pilaf from Love and Lemons: Blending chewy, nutty wild rice with caramelized roasted sweet potatoes and umami shallots, this is the perfect meal if you're not into turkey. The recipe can be customized to include your favorite veggies.
Citrus, Beet, and Arugula Salad with Halloumi Croutons from Food&Wine: This light and filling salad is sure to be a hit.
In the mood for holiday shopping?Beware, this year more stores are closed on Thanksgiving
Vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish recipes
Some holiday spreads could even swap the turkey centerpiece for a vegetarian or vegan entrée. Here are some ideas.
Broccoli Manicotti with Burrata from Feasting at Home: Pasta is a always a filling main course so this dish is sure to satisfy.
Tahdig With Cranberries and Herbs from Sohla El-Waylly, featured on Bon Appétit: This flavorful Persian rice recipe blends cranberries and woody herbs into a delicious dish.
Mushroom Wellington with Rosemary and Pecans from Feasting at Home's Sylvia Fountaine: This dish can be made in stages across several days, so you don't have to rush to put it together on Thanksgiving Day.
Don't forget the dessert
Desserts are often already vegetarian, but Side says many desserts can easily be made vegan simply by subbing regular butter for a vegan butter.
"Peach cobbler is my absolute favorite and probably the easiest thing to make vegan, and people don't even know it. That's really dependent on finding a pipe press that doesn't have lard in it, which again is simpler than people think. Other than that all the other ingredients are vegan," Side said.
More Thanksgiving 2023:Is it cheaper to go to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner? Maybe not this year.
veryGood! (8494)
Related
- Black, red or dead: How Omaha became a hub for black squirrel scholarship
- 16 SWAT officers hospitalized after blast at training facility in Southern California
- Censorship efforts at libraries continued to soar in 2023, according to a new report
- Scott Peterson's lawyers ask for new DNA test in push to overturn Laci Peterson conviction
- Francesca Farago Details Health Complications That Led to Emergency C-Section of Twins
- South Dakota legislator calls for inquiry into Gov. Noem’s Texas dental trip and promo video
- Nearly half of U.S. homes face severe threat from climate change, study finds
- Kansas will pay $1 million over the murder of a boy torture victim whose body was fed to pigs
- Jimmy Kimmel, more late-night hosts 'shocked' by Trump Cabinet picks: 'Goblins and weirdos'
- Drake Bell Shares He Was Sexually Abused at 15
Ranking
- Jared Goff stats: Lions QB throws career-high 5 INTs in SNF win over Texans
- Florida citrus capital was top destination for US movers last year
- Race for Chicago-area prosecutor seat features tough-on-crime judge, lawyer with Democratic backing
- Wendy's introduces new Orange Dreamsicle Frosty flavor to kick off Spring
- Shawn Mendes quest for self-discovery is a quiet triumph: Best songs on 'Shawn' album
- Star Wars’ Child Actor Jake Lloyd in Mental Health Facility After Suffering Psychotic Break
- Michael Strahan Surprises Daughter Isabella With Visit From Her Favorite Celebrity Amid Cancer Battle
- Wendy's introduces new Orange Dreamsicle Frosty flavor to kick off Spring
Recommendation
-
Young Black and Latino men say they chose Trump because of the economy and jobs. Here’s how and why
-
Federal judge finds Flint, Michigan, in contempt over lead water pipe crisis
-
Half a century after murdered woman's remains were found in Connecticut, she's been identified
-
Calvin Ridley surprises by signing with Titans on massive four-year contract, per reports
-
US wholesale inflation picks up slightly in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
-
It’s not just ‘hang loose.’ Lawmakers look to make the friendly ‘shaka’ Hawaii’s official gesture
-
Concorde supersonic jet will return to New York’s Intrepid Museum after seven-month facelift
-
Pennsylvania’s Governor Wants to Cut Power Plant Emissions With His Own Cap-and-Invest Program